The Worst Year for Yams in Living Memory

Yams, the squishy orange stuff that everyone enjoys, are the king of crops in Nigeria. More

specifically in the fictional village of Umuofia yams are the way to measure an individuals success and wealth.  

The wealthy man Nwakibie was approached by local legend, Okonkwo, who was 

looking to borrow yam seeds from him for the next year of farming. Okonkwo who was a very eager 

man was determined not to fail Nwakibie and get his his

investment back on yams. Unfortunately for the both of them, this

happened to be "the worst year in living memory". According to

description, "The earth burned like hot coals and roasted all the

yams that had been sown... But the year had gone mad. Rain fell as

it had never fallen before. For days and nights together it poured 

down in violent torrents, and washed away the yam heaps"(Achebe 23-24). This is a huge problem,

not only because the bad weather causes the loss of yams but also because it impacts the whole

village. Yams are of the most important vegetables to grow in Umuofia and they also contribute to the

local economy. Due to the bad weather yams are now more scarce in the markets, the local

economy down and the farmers honor is growing their yams has been affected.

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print. 

"Jewel Yams." Information, Recipes and Facts. Specialty Produce, n.d. Web. Nov. 2016. <http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Jewel_Yams_5553.php>.